Garrahan Park
Managed by Boulder Creek Recreation and Park District
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: John Pilge · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Boulder Creek
Boulder Creek has 25 miles of mapped trails, 3.4 for every square mile of land
19% of Boulder Creek’s land is conserved, about 892 acres. 14 acres are parks and preserves, 3.1 per 1,000 residents. 58% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #341 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
892 acres · of 7.5 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
3.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
14 ac
3.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Boulder Creek?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Boulder Creek have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Boulder Creek is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #341 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Boulder Creek’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land3.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (14 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home58% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 72%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 60%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
892 conserved acres
19% of Boulder Creek’s land. Who manages Boulder Creek’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional Water Districts889 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits187 ac
Regional agency2 ac
County1 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 889 acConservation Easement · 163 acUnknown Easement · 23 acLocal Park · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Lorenzo Valley Water District Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 889 | Restricted |
| Garrahan Park Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| Junction Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
| Miller Property County Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in Boulder Creek
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Boulder Creek
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Boulder Creek
Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Boulder Creek
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Boulder Creek
Site of the Cross
DirectionsPeaks in Boulder Creek
Hermit Knob
DirectionsMt. Radin
DirectionsPlus 2 peaks without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Boulder Creek
Canyon Camp
DirectionsDuffy
DirectionsGilwell
DirectionsKashmir
DirectionsKyber
DirectionsMafeking
DirectionsOhlone
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
Oak Knoll Heights0.8 mi
The Fellowship Trail0.3 mi
Blackberry Ridge0.2 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Tennis
2Beach volleyball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Grace Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 2006
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Boulder Creek: May to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 60 | 60 | 64 | 67 | 71 | 77 | 81 | 82 | 81 | 75 | 65 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 8.3 | 7.7 | 6.0 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 4.0 | 8.1 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 8.3 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Boulder Creek →
Questions about parks and trails in Boulder Creek
How much of Boulder Creek is conserved land?
19% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Boulder Creek’s trails?
Garrahan Park and Junction Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Boulder Creek?
72,332 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Boulder Creek or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 14 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Boulder Creek have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #341 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Boulder Creek neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →